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16 Jan 2006 : Column 1091W—continued
Respect Action Plan
15. Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contribution he expects neighbourhood watch schemes to make to the Government's Respect Action Plan. [41783]
Hazel Blears: I am pleased to be able to say that Neighbourhood Watch is thriving in Staffordshire. Neighbourhood Watch schemes have an important role to play in empowering local people to help reduce crime, tackle antisocial behaviour and reduce the fear of crime in communities throughout the country.
We would like to see Watch groups engage more with people living in higher-crime areas, with young people and with members of minority ethnic communities and ensuring the accountability of police and local authorities to the community.
Parliament (Protests)
16. Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested for protesting within a mile of Parliament since 1 August 2005. [41784]
Paul Goggins: The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police has informed me that there have been 28 arrests for taking part in an unauthorised demonstration in the designated area since 1 August 2005.
Probation (Private Sector)
18. David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his Department's plans to allow the private sector to bid for probation work. [41786]
Fiona Mactaggart:
A consultation paper setting out the Government's proposals to restructure the probation service was published on 20 October 2005. We intend to publish a prospectus later this year which will outline our proposals for phasing contestability.
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DNA Database
20. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the inclusion of people on the police DNA database who have not been charged or convicted. [41788]
Andy Burnham: The Government believe firmly that the measures taken to retain the samples of persons who have been arrested, albeit not charged or convicted, are proportionate and justified in the interests of preventing and detecting crime. It is a fact that the police arrest more persons than they charge but for those who may go on to commit a crime it is important that the police have this information available. Law abiding citizens have nothing to fear from having their DNA retained on the national DNA database.
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in relation to the national DNA database (a) he has received and (b) have been successful; and if he will make a statement. [35297]
Mr. Charles Clarke [holding answer 6 December 2006]: The Home Office has received one request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 concerning the national DMA database. In responding to the request; information was released setting out who was operating the national DMA database, additional funding budget, and the number of suspect offender profiles stored. It also set out the powers that the police were given under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 to take, without consent, a non-intimate DMA sample. However, further information on how policy officials determined the guidelines on how a national DMA database would operate was withheld under Section 35(1 )(a) of the Freedom of information Act 2000 as it would stifle future debate and damage the quality of advice provided.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many records were held on the Police DNA Database in each of the last five years. [41471]
Andy Burnham: Records on the National DNA Database represent DNA profiles taken from individuals and from crime scenes. Profiles taken from individuals are usually retained whereas those taken from crime scenes are usually deleted when the crime has been solved. The number of profiles is not the same as the number of individuals, because 10 per cent. of the profiles are estimated to be duplicates. The figures for each of the last five years are shown in the following table.
(67) nearest thousand, England, Wales and Scotland
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Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been received by the Independent Police Complaints Commission regarding (a) the collection of DNA evidence from arrested persons and (b) the voluntary collection of DNA. [41668]
Hazel Blears:
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is responsible for the management of the police complaints system. I will ensure that the
16 Jan 2006 : Column 1094W
chairman receives a copy of the question and replies to you directly. Copies of the letter containing the IPCC's response will be placed in the House Libraries.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of people arrested in each year since 1995 had their DNA added to the National DNA Database. [41676]
Andy Burnham: The answer is shown in the following table.
(68) Not recorded
(69) Not available
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people voluntarily gave DNA samples to be kept in the national police DNA database in each year since 2000. [41677]
Andy Burnham: No volunteer records were loaded on the National DNA Database before 2004–05, for technical reasons. In that year 12,095 volunteer records were loaded. Some of these were given during previous years, but there is no record of the date they were given, as opposed to the date they were loaded. Between 1 April 2005 and 10 January 2006, a further 3,221 volunteer profiles have been loaded.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many entries on the National DNA Database were destroyed in each year since 1995. [41702]
Andy Burnham: The number of profiles relating to individuals deleted from the National DNA Database since 1995 is:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 2006 (to 10 January) | 1,232 |
| 2005 | 22,605 |
| 2004 | 19,126 |
| 2003 | 23,901 |
| 2002 | 18,499 |
| 2001 | 44,664 |
| 2000 | 66,149 |
| 1999 | 68,816 |
| 1998 | 45,170 |
| 1997 | 21,587 |
| 1996 | 12,564 |
| 1995 | 675 |
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from whom DNA was taken following arrest for inclusion in the National DNA Database were arrested for (a) summary, (b) indictable including either-way and (c) indictable only offences. [41703]
Andy Burnham: It is not possible to provide the information requested as statistical data are not kept in this form.
When a person in police custody has a DNA sample taken, the sampling police officer completes a DNA form giving demographic details of the arrested person and details of the offence type by 12 broad offence categories. These are: Homicide, Rape, Robbery, Other violent crime, Other sex offences, Domestic Burglary, Other Burglary, Theft of Vehicle, theft from vehicle, Criminal damage, Drugs offences; and All other recordable offences. As the specific offence is not recorded, it is not possible to determine how many offences are summary, indictable or triable either way.
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